Remove toxic team members

Merriam-Webster defines a benchmark as “something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged.” I agree with this definition. However, when we speak of benchmarks, we usually think of standards that take the form of numbers. Business benchmarks come in many shapes and sizes. There are benchmarks in the form of profitability ratios, debt ratios, financial ratios, production standards, etc. The most important of these we refer to as critical numbers. These numeric benchmarks are quantifiable, analytical and objective. We measure them with a calculator.

There’s a second group of benchmarks that I call intuitive benchmarks. These standards deal with the quality of one’s life. They are more real than their quantifiable counterparts because you don’t measure them with a calculator, but by means of direct experience.

Intuitive benchmarks.
To explain intuitive benchmarks, consider the following qualities of life:

• Peace (tranquility, stillness of soul) as compared to anxious.
• Faith (hope that the future will be good) as compared to despairing.
• Purpose and meaning as compared to aimlessness and frustration.
• Joyful as compared to morose.
• Freedom, independent as compared to inhibited, enslaved.

There are more such standards, but I think these provide some understanding on them.

Read more of Jim Huston's tips for confronting toxic team members here.